The Routes of English Complete Series 1-4 Audiobook By Melvyn Bragg cover art

The Routes of English Complete Series 1-4

Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The Routes of English Complete Series 1-4

By: Melvyn Bragg
Narrated by: Melvyn Bragg, various
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.88

Buy for $18.88

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

In this collection, Melvyn Bragg surveys how English has evolved over 1,000 years. He starts by looking at the disappearance of old dialects like that of Cumbria, and how English has been enriched by foreign languages, from Latin and Old French to dozens more as conquest, trade and immigration played their part in recent centuries. He also examines new coinages, puns and wordplay; how accents and social class are entwined; swear words; attempts to stop the evolution of language in its tracks; and, lastly, the many varieties of English that are spoken around the world today.

Next, it's dialects from around Britain: the Pitmatic of Northumberland, the dialect of (London/Derry), the increasingly elusive Cornish dialect, Pidgin and Shropshire dialect, before finishing up with a speculation on the future of English dialects. Finally, Melvyn examines some of the many different varieties of English spoken around the world today, taking in Spanglish from the USA, Indian English, Caribbean English, Australian English, South African English and a kind of 'international English' used between non-native English speakers.

©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd
Europe Great Britain Linguistics Social Sciences England Africa Caribbean
No reviews yet